Ratio adjuster or tap changer



Jan. 24, 1933. F. H. BARRINGTON RATIO ADJUSTER OR TAP CHANGER Filed June 19, 1931 Mme-Nice.-

F BA ere/Ne ro/v.

47-1-0 PNE Y5 Patented Jan. 24, 1933 UN'KTED STATES PATENT OFFICE FREDERICK. I-I. BARRING'TON, OF ST. LOUIS, IMISSOUR-I, ASSIGNOR TO MOLONEY ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION DELAWARE RATIO ADJUSTER OR TAP CHANGER Application filed June 19,

This invention relates to ratio adjusters or tap changers, such as are used in transformers.

The'main object of the invention is to provide a ratio adjuster or tap changer of sim' ple design, that is easy to operate, inexpensive to manufacture and of such construction that the movable or shiftable contacts will snugly grip or engage the stationary contacts with which they co-operate.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of my improved ratio adjuster or tap changer.

Figure 2. is a top plan view with the handle at the upper end of the plunger removed;

and V Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view, taken on the line 8-3 of Figure 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Referring to the drawing which illustrates the preferred form of my invention, A designates a cylindrical housing of insulating material that is connected toa metal supporting member B in which a plunger C is reciprocatingly mounted, said plunger being constructed of insulating material and projecting upwardly through a tubular guide 1 on the top face of the supporting member B. The plunger C is provided at its upper end with a knob or handle 2, and the guide 1 is so proportioned that the knob 2 will strike against the upper end of same when the plunger C is depressed, as hereinafter described, to move the contacts on the plunger into engagement with their co operating contacts. An insulator D is arranged inside of the housing A at the lower end of same, as shown in Figure 1, and a plurality of stationary contacts E are arranged in an are on said insulater in concentric relation with the plunger 0. Said plunger is provided at its lower end with a pair of angularly-disposed, shiftable contacts F that are adapted to be moved into engagement with a selected pair of the stationary contacts E by depressing the plunger C, as shown in full lines in Figure 1, and disengaged from the selected pair of stationary contacts by moving the plunger upwardly, as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1.

The stationary contacts E preferably con- 1931. Serial No. 545,467.

upwardly through bosses 3 on the top side of the insulator D, and each of the shiftable contacts F consists of a resilient, bifurcated. member that is adapted tomove end-wise over the stationary contact with which it co-op- .erates. In the preferred form of my inven tion herein illustrated, each of the shif-table contacts F is formed from two, strips of metal bent, so as to form a: split, tubular member that has sufficient resiliency to ensure its remaining' in snug engagement with its cooperating stationary contact. I prefer to form the two angularly-disposed, shit-table contacts F from along strip of metal 4v, bent into substantially V-shape, as shown in Figure 3,. and two short strips 4 attached to the diverging arms of said long strip. The long stripe is bent around a depending'rod 5 on the plunger C, and is rigidly attached to said F rod 5- preferably by pins 6, as shown in Figures 2 and 3. In Order to limit the upward movement of the plunger C during the op eration of disengaging the movable or shiftable contacts from the stationary contacts, the depending rod 5 on said plunger isprovided with a stop 7 that is adapted to strike against the underside of the insulator D when the plunger C is moved upwardly.

The top face of the supporting member B 1s provided with numerals or other indicia 8 arranged symmetric-ally around the tubular guide 1 up through which the plunger projects, and said guide 1 is provided with openended slots 9 arranged opposite said numbers and adapted to receive a. laterally-pros ecting pin 10 on the plunger C, thus pr0ducing a dial and guiding device for the plunger that assists the operator in arranging the movable contacts F on the plunger in engagement with aselected pair of the stationary contacts. I

In using my improved ratio adjuster or tap changer, the operator first raises the plunger G into its elevated position, shown in broken lines in Figure 1, and then turns said plunger so as to cause the laterally-projecting pin 10 on same to point to a selected numeral on the dial on the supporting member B:.. Thereafter, the operator depresses said plunger so as to cause the movable contacts F carried by same to engage the selected pair of stationary contacts, the open-ended slot 9 in the tubular guide 1 that is arranged opposite the selected numeral on the dial causing the movable contacts F to be arranged in proper relationship with the pair of selected stationary contacts. Then it is desired to change the relationship of the movable contacts and the stationary contacts, it is only necessary to move the plunger C upwardly into its elevated position, then turn said plunger so as to bring the pin 10 thereon opposite the numeral on the dial that designates the selected pair of stationary contacts, and thereafter, move the plunger downwardly so as to cause the movable contacts F carried by same to telescope over the selected pair of stationary contacts.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A ratio adjuster or tap changer for transformers, comprising a plurality of stationary, cylindrical contacts arranged in an are, a manually-operable plunger arranged in concentric relation with said stationary contacts, and a pair of angularly-disposed, movable contacts carried by said plunger and formed by a strip of metal rigidly attached to said plunger and bent to form two legs that are adapted to engage adjacent contacts when the plunger is depressed, and metal devices attached to said legs so as to co-operate with same to form resilient elements that surround the contacts.

2. A ratio adjuster or tap changer for transformers, comprising a plurality of stationary, cylindrical contacts arranged in an are, a manually-operable plunger arranged in concentric relation with said stationary con.- tacts, a pair of angularly-disposed, movable contacts carried by said plunger and each consisting of a bifurcated, resilient member that is adapted to telescope over one of said stationary contacts when the plunger is depressed, a supporting member provided with a tubular guide that snugly surrounds said plunger, slots in said guide disposed parallel to the axis of movement of the plunger and arranged in a certain relation with said stationary contacts, and a laterally-projecting device on said plunger that cooperates with said slots to cause the movable contacts carried by the plunger to properly engage a selected pair of the stationary contacts when the plunger is depressed.

3. A ratio adjuster or tap changer for transformers, comprising a plurality of stationary, cylindrical contacts arranged in an are, a manually-operable plunger arranged in concentric relation with said stationary contacts, a pair of angularly-disposed, movable contacts carried by said plunger and each consisting of a bifurcated, resilient member that is adapted to telescopeover one of said stationary contacts when the plunger is depressed, a supporting member provided with a tubular guide that snugly surrounds the plunger, slots in said guide disposed parallel to the axis of movement of the plunger and arranged in a certain relation with said stationary contacts, a laterally-projecting guide device on said plunger that is adapted to enter one or the other of said slots when the plunger is depressed, a dial on the top face of said supporting member, a housing on said supporting member, and an insulator in said housing that carries said stationary contacts.

a. A ratio adjuster or tap changer for transformers, comprising a supporting member, a cylindrical housing of insulating material connected to said supporting member, a substantially disk-shaped insulator arranged inside of said housing, a tubular guide on the top face of said supporting member, a reciprocating plunger of insulating material snugly surrounded by said guide, cylindrical, stationary contacts on said insulator arran ed in symmetrical relation with said plunger, a pair of angularly-disposed, movable contacts carried by said plunger and each consisting of a split, tubular member that is adapted to telescope over the stationary contact with which it co-operates, means for limiting the upward or outward movement of the plunger during the operation of disengaging the movable contacts from the stationary contacts, a knob on said plunger that is adapted to strike against the end of said guide when the plunger is moved inwardly, and a visual means for assisting the operator to position the plunger so as to cause the movable contacts thereon to properly co-operate with a selected pair of the stationary contacts.

FREDERICK H. BARRINGTQN. 

